The skinny on fitness resolutions

Jan. 1 it was 70 degrees in my hometown, and I was one of the many people spending the day outside. No doubt these people had made a promise to themselves to start the year off with healthy habits. It's common to make a resolution that will improve your physical health, whether it be going to the gym more often or swearing off D-hall dessert.

Some of my family members decided to try Weight Watchers for their New Year's resolutions after seeing how the program gave great results to celebrities, such as Jennifer Hudson and Charles Barkley.

Former NBA star Barkley, who has lost nearly 40 pounds on the program thus far, is part of the "Lose Like a Man" campaign, proving that diet programs such as Weight Watchers aren't just for women.

But Barkley isn't the only basketball player concerned with his physical health. Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade recently told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that he had started to focus more on nutrition by eating salads with every meal, which he said was what has given him an "edge" at this stage in his career.

For college students living a busy life, eating presents a challenge difference from what retired and current athletes, like Barkley and Wade, face. For those of you who spend an hour on the elliptical machine, satisfied with the bright green number flashing under the heading "calories," be wary. If you're returning to your room afterward to eat a microwavable dinner at 10 p.m., it might not make much of a difference.

A New York Times article published Jan. 8 online titled "Does Exercise Really Keep Us Healthy?" said that exercise in the absence of weight loss did not reduce blood pressure or cholesterol, and evidence that exercise reduced the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease or cancer could be disputed.

It's only the third week of January and I've already slipped back into my old habits: chugging caffeine to stay awake, eating at unreasonable hours and skipping the trip to the gym to finish homework.

If you've maintained your fitness-related resolutions, and still have the motivation to determine how you spend your calories and the rest of your day, congratulations. I hope that you continue on that path. For those who are having more difficulty, remember that eating healthy and staying fit is a way of life, not a short-term commitment.

Luckily, it doesn't have to be Jan. 1 to start over.